The Daily Lectionary for TUESDAY, August 6, 2019

The Daily Lectionary

TUESDAY, August 6, 2019

(Revised Common Lectionary Year C)

(Semi-continuous Reading Plan)

Psalm 60

Prayer for National Victory after Defeat
To the leader: according to the Lily of the Covenant. A Miktam of David; for instruction; when he struggled with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and when Joab on his return killed twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
1  O God, you have rejected us, broken our defenses;
     you have been angry; now restore us!
2  You have caused the land to quake; you have torn it open;
     repair the cracks in it, for it is tottering.
3  You have made your people suffer hard things;
     you have given us wine to drink that made us reel.

4  You have set up a banner for those who fear you,
     to rally to it out of bowshot.   Selah
5  Give victory with your right hand, and answer us,
     so that those whom you love may be rescued.

6  God has promised in his sanctuary:
     “With exultation I will divide up Shechem,
     and portion out the Vale of Succoth.
7  Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine;
     Ephraim is my helmet;
     Judah is my scepter.
8  Moab is my washbasin;
     on Edom I hurl my shoe;
     over Philistia I shout in triumph.”

9  Who will bring me to the fortified city?
     Who will lead me to Edom?
10 Have you not rejected us, O God?
     You do not go out, O God, with our armies.
11 O grant us help against the foe,
     for human help is worthless.
12 With God we shall do valiantly;
     it is he who will tread down our foes.

Hosea 13:1-16

Relentless Judgment on Israel
13:1 When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling;
     he was exalted in Israel;
     but he incurred guilt through Baal and died.
2  And now they keep on sinning
     and make a cast image for themselves,
   idols of silver made according to their understanding,
     all of them the work of artisans.
   “Sacrifice to these,” they say.
     People are kissing calves!
3  Therefore they shall be like the morning mist
     or like the dew that goes away early,
   like chaff that swirls from the threshing floor
     or like smoke from a window.

4  Yet I have been the Lord your God
     ever since the land of Egypt;
   you know no God but me,
     and besides me there is no savior.
5  It was I who fed you in the wilderness,
     in the land of drought.
6  When I fed them, they were satisfied;
     they were satisfied, and their heart was proud;
     therefore they forgot me.
7  So I will become like a lion to them,
     like a leopard I will lurk beside the way.
8  I will fall upon them like a bear robbed of her cubs,
     and will tear open the covering of their heart;
   there I will devour them like a lion,
     as a wild animal would mangle them.

9  I will destroy you, O Israel;
     who can help you?
10 Where now is your king, that he may save you?
     Where in all your cities are your rulers,
   of whom you said,
     “Give me a king and rulers”?
11 I gave you a king in my anger,
     and I took him away in my wrath.

12 Ephraim’s iniquity is bound up;
     his sin is kept in store.
13 The pangs of childbirth come for him,
     but he is an unwise son;
   for at the proper time he does not present himself
     at the mouth of the womb.

14 Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol?
     Shall I redeem them from Death?
   O Death, where are your plagues?
     O Sheol, where is your destruction?
     Compassion is hidden from my eyes.

15 Although he may flourish among rushes,
     the east wind shall come, a blast from the Lord,
     rising from the wilderness;
   and his fountain shall dry up,
     his spring shall be parched.
   It shall strip his treasury
     of every precious thing.
16 Samaria shall bear her guilt,
     because she has rebelled against her God;
   they shall fall by the sword,
     their little ones shall be dashed in pieces,
     and their pregnant women ripped open.

Colossians 4:2-6

Further Instructions
4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time pray for us as well that God will open to us a door for the word, that we may declare the mystery of Christ, for which I am in prison, 4 so that I may reveal it clearly, as I should.

5 Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone.

Optional parts of the readings are set off in [square brackets.]

The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel lessons are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the USA, and used by permission.

The Daily Lectionary is a three year cyclical lectionary. We are currently in Year C. Beginning with the first Sunday of Advent in 2019, we will be in Year A. The year which ended at Advent 2018 was Year B. These readings complement the Sunday and festival readings: Thursday through Saturday readings help prepare the reader for the Sunday ahead; Monday through Wednesday readings help the reader reflect and digest on what they heard in worship. Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org
"Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone" (Col. 4:5-6).

The Morning Prayer for TUESDAY, August 6, 2019

Tuesday Morning Prayer

Lord, on this day I chose to put You first. Thank You that when You are at the center of our family, our lives are rich with love and goodness. Lord, be the running stream, springing up at the very heart of our household. Might we drink daily from the water of life, that our days would be filled with kindness, forgiveness, trust and love. Amen.

May this day be a gentle time
Of love and kindness shown,
To all my friends and family
A love that helps us grow.

Let Tuesday always prompt my heart
To place my life in You.
To see Your holy will be done
I give my life anew.

Verse of the Day for TUESDAY, August 6, 2019

Psalm 119:160 (NIV) All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal.

Read all of Psalm 119

Listen to Psalm 119

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Un dia a la Vez - Tuesday, August 6, 2019

La obediencia a los padres

Padres, no exasperen a sus hijos, no sea que se desanimen.

~ Colosenses 3:21, NVI

Este día quiero honrar a los padres que hacen una buena labor enseñando, educando e interviniendo en la vida de sus hijos.

La relación con nuestros hijos no siempre es fácil. Pasan diferentes etapas en sus vidas en las que es casi imposible penetrar.

Dios quiere que tú y yo vivamos el modelo que Él estableció como Padre.

La violencia y la agresión no nos llevarán a nada bueno con ellos.

Lo que siempre escuchamos es verdad: La violencia trae más violencia.

Necesitamos tener una magnifica relación con Dios y pedirle que nos ayude en esta difícil tarea de ser padres. Aunque ya lo he dicho en otros devocionales, en el Manual de Instrucciones encontramos la manera adecuada para educar a nuestros muchachos.

Sin embargo, recuerda que nuestro ejemplo, lo que ven y lo que aprendan será lo que guarden como un estilo de vida.

Empieza por respetarlos, diles cuánto los amas y lo especiales que son para ti.

No los compares con otro hijo o hijo de algún amigo.

Siempre reafírmales su corazón.

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón
Este día quiero honrar a los padres que hacen una buena labor enseñando, educando e interviniendo en la vida de sus hijos.

Standing Strong Through the Storm - Tuesday, August 6, 2019

FOUR-STAGE PROCESS OF PERSECUTION

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.

~ Proverbs 31:8 (NIV)

Jesus’ basic communication theory in Matthew 12 is that people speak and act from the overflow of what is in their heart. Jeremiah and others remind us that the heart can be exceedingly wicked. One of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s famous statements is “The line of good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.”

Christian persecution within a country or state rarely happens suddenly or in isolation. It is most often a process. Some years ago Rev. Dr. Johan Candelin, who headed the World Evangelical Alliance’s (WEA) Religious Liberties Commission recognized this and devised a three-stage process of what happens leading up to persecution becoming entrenched in any society. He labeled the three stages of downward spiral as disinformation, discrimination and persecution. Dr. Candelin later expanded it to a six-stage process with each of the three having a passive, then active, aspect.

Dr. Jim Cunningham and I included this process in the first edition of Standing Strong Through the Storm (SSTS) and in our seminars. 

Some academicians and wordsmiths found it problematic to label the third stage with the same word as that of the process. So we began to wrestle with this issue from a sociological, historical and biblical perspective. We found interesting academic parallels. For example, in 1996, Professor Gregory Stanton, President of Genocide Watch, proposed an excellent model of an eight stage process of genocide. There are interesting similarities between this downward spiral and what psychologist John Gottman has labeled as the four most likely predictors of divorce.

When we accepted Jesus’ four verb definition of persecution in Luke 6:22, we then found four clear biblical steps in understanding the downward spiral in the process of persecution: opposition, disinformation, injustice and mistreatment. We will look at these four steps forming the acronym ODIM individually over the next four days.

Why is this important to you and me? Just today I read again the poignant words of German theologian Martin Niemoller written after he had been imprisoned for eight years in concentration camps as the personal prisoner of Adolf Hitler:

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.

And then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

RESPONSE: Today I will speak out for the rights of those who have no voice to speak for themselves.

PRAYER: Help me, Lord, to be aware of the forces of evil that conspire against Your Kingdom.

Standing Strong Through The Storm (SSTS), a daily devotional message by SSTS author Paul Estabrooks. © 2011 Open Doors International. Used by permission.

LHM Daily Devotions - August 6, 2019 - "Asking for What Lies on Our Hearts"

"Asking for What Lies on Our Hearts"

Aug. 6, 2019

After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." But Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what will You give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" And Abram said, "Behold, You have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir." And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: "This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir." And He brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then He said to him, "So shall your offspring be." And he believed the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness.

~ Genesis 15:1-6 (ESV)

God comes to Abram and says to him, "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." But Abram is not happy; he says, "O Lord God, what will You give me, for I continue childless? ... a member of my household will be my heir."

Abram, later called Abraham, had good reason to question. No matter what wonderful blessings God promised Abram, in Abram's mind, none of them would matter if he couldn't pass them on—if he had no child—if his family was wiped out in the next generation. Then where would all these blessings be? This is very much on Abram's mind, because he is over 75 and his wife Sarai has already gone through menopause. So the minute God mentions blessings, Abram's mind goes straight to the one thing that is missing: a baby.

Notice that Abram is not shy about complaining to God. He comes right out and says it: "What will You give me, under these circumstances?" He goes straight to the point, without worrying about offending God or looking whiny or pathetic.

And God blesses that. He does not yell at him for his honesty. Instead, He looks at the problem, agrees that it is a problem, and promises to deal with it. In fact, it will take Him about 20 more years to carry out His promise—but Abram doesn't know that. All he knows is that God has given him a promise, and God's promises are sure. And so he relaxes. He trusts in God. And God considers this to be good, to be right, to be righteous.

This is what we need to do when we have problems that weigh on our hearts and minds. It's no good praying about a thousand different things if we stay silent about the one concern that is closest to our heart—even if that concern seems silly or selfish or too trivial to bother God with. God knows our hearts anyway. He sees that we are preoccupied. And so the best thing we can do is to take that thing that is bothering us and confess it honestly to God, asking for His help.

He will not mock us or turn His heart away from us. How could He, when He is the one Person who loved us so much that He lay down His own life for our sake, to save us and make us His own? Our problems matter to Him, because we are His beloved. And the Lord who died and rose again for our sake will not ignore or reject us in our needs, even if they seem mundane or unworthy to us. We can go to Him like a dearly loved child to a father, trusting our Father to hear us. Whether He says "yes" or "no" or even "not yet," He will hear us, and He will care for us. We matter to Him.

THE PRAYER: Dear Father, help me with the needs and problems that preoccupy me. Help me to trust You with all of my needs, however small. Amen.

Reflection Questions:
Do you think God listens to every one of your prayers?
What do you think it means that Abram's believing in God was counted to him as "righteousness"?
How open and forthright are your conversations with God?

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo. Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
Do you think God listens to every one of your prayers?

Devocional de la CPTLN del 06 de Agosto de 2019 - Lo que hay en nuestros corazones

ALIMENTO DIARIO

Lo que hay en nuestros corazones

06 de Agosto de 2019

Después de estos sucesos, la palabra del Señor vino a Abrán en una visión. Le dijo: «No temas, Abrán. Yo soy tu escudo, y tu galardón será muy grande.» Abrán respondió: «Mi Señor y Dios, ¿qué puedes darme, si no tengo hijos, y el mayordomo de mi casa es ese damasceno Eliezer?» También dijo Abrán: «Mira que no me has dado descendencia. Mi heredero será un esclavo nacido en mi casa.» Pero vino a él palabra del Señor, y le dijo: «Tu heredero no será éste, sino tu propio hijo.» Entonces lo llevó afuera, y allí le dijo: «Fíjate ahora en los cielos, y cuenta las estrellas, si es que las puedes contar. ¡Así será tu descendencia!» Y Abrán creyó al Señor, y eso le fue contado por justicia.

~ Génesis 15:1-6 (RVC)

En la lectura de hoy, Dios se acerca a Abrán y le dice: "No temas, Abrán. Yo soy tu escudo, y tu galardón será muy grande". Pero Abrán responde triste: "Mi Señor y Dios, ¿qué puedes darme, si no tengo hijos... Mi heredero será un esclavo nacido en mi casa".

Abrahán tenía buenas razones para cuestionar. Sin importar las maravillosas bendiciones que Dios le había prometido, en la mente de Abrán ninguna de ellas importaba si no iba a poder transmitirlas, si no iba a tener un hijo, si su familia iba a terminar en esa generación. ¿Dónde iban a quedar todas esas bendiciones? Eso lo preocupa mucho, porque tiene más de 75 años y su esposa Saraí ya había pasado por la menopausia. Entonces, en el momento en que Dios menciona las bendiciones, la mente de Abrán va directamente a la única cosa que falta: un hijo.

Abrán no es tímido para quejarse con Dios. De inmediato lo dice: "¿Qué puedes darme, si no tengo hijos?" Va directo al grano, sin preocuparse por ofender a Dios o parecer quejumbroso o patético.

Y Dios lo bendice. No le grita por su honestidad, sino que concuerda con que es un problema y se compromete a resolverlo. De hecho, pasará cerca de 20 años en cumplir su promesa, pero Abrán no lo sabe. Todo lo que sabe es que Dios le ha dado una promesa, y las promesas de Dios son seguras. Y entonces se relaja, confiando en Dios. Y Dios considera que eso es bueno.

Quizás sea un buen ejemplo a seguir cuando tenemos problemas que pesan en nuestro corazón. No es bueno orar por mil cosas diferentes si nos mantenemos en silencio acerca de la preocupación más cercana a nuestro corazón, incluso si esa preocupación parece tonta o egoísta o demasiado trivial para molestar a Dios. Dios conoce nuestro corazón de todos modos. Él ve que estamos preocupados. Y entonces, lo mejor que podemos hacer es tomar lo que nos está molestando y confesarlo honestamente a Dios, pidiéndole su ayuda.

Él no se burlará de nosotros ni apartará su corazón de nosotros. ¿Cómo podría hacerlo, si es la única Persona que nos amó tanto que entregó su vida para salvarnos y hacernos suyos? Nuestros problemas son importantes para Él, porque somos sus amados. Y el Señor que murió y resucitó por nuestro bien no nos ignorará ni rechazará nuestras necesidades, incluso si nos parecen mundanas o indignas. Podemos acudir a Él como un hijo muy querido acude a su padre, confiando en que nuestro Padre nos escuchará. Ya sea que diga "sí" o "no", o incluso "aún no", nos escuchará y se preocupará por nosotros. Nosotros le importamos.

ORACIÓN: Querido Padre, ayúdame con los problemas que me preocupan. Ayúdame a confiar en ti con todas mis necesidades, por pequeñas que sean. En Jesús. Amén.

Dra. Kari Vo

Para reflexionar:

• ¿Qué crees que significa que la confianza de Abrán en Dios le fue contada como justicia?
• ¿Qué puedes hacer para que tus conversaciones con Dios sean más abiertas y directas?

© Copyright 2019 Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones. Que a través de estos devocionales, la Palabra de Dios te refresque en tu diario caminar.
¿Qué puedes hacer para que tus conversaciones con Dios sean más abiertas y directas?

Nuestro Pan Diario - ¿Regresarás?

¿Regresarás?

Leer: Oseas 3:1-5 | La Biblia en un año: Salmos 70–71; Romanos 8:22-39

Descargar MP3

… ama a [tu esposa], como el amor del Señor para con los hijos de Israel, los cuales miran a dioses ajenos… (v. 1).

El matrimonio de Raúl y Nancy se deterioraba rápidamente. Ella tuvo un amorío, pero tiempo después, le confesó su pecado a Dios. Sabía lo que Él quería que hiciera, pero le resultaba difícil. Entonces, le contó la verdad a Raúl, pero él, en lugar de pedirle el divorcio, le dio la oportunidad de recuperar su confianza mostrándole que había cambiado. De forma milagrosa, Dios restauró su matrimonio.

El proceder de Raúl ilustra el amor y el perdón de Dios hacia pecadores como tú y yo. El profeta Oseas entendía bien de qué se trataba esto. El Señor le había ordenado que se casara con una mujer infiel, para mostrarle así a Israel su infidelidad (Oseas 1). Como si eso fuera poco, cuando la esposa de Oseas lo abandonó, Dios le dijo que le pidiera que volviera: «Ve y ama otra vez a tu esposa, aun cuando ella comete adulterio con un amante» (3:1 ntv). A pesar de toda la desobediencia de su pueblo, Dios anhela tener una relación íntima con los suyos. Así como Oseas amó a su esposa infiel, la buscó y se sacrificó por ella, Dios amó a los israelitas. Su justa ira y su celo eran el resultado de su gran amor.

Este mismo Dios anhela hoy que estemos cerca de Él. Al acercarnos con fe, podemos estar seguros de que hallaremos plena satisfacción.

Señor, gracias por perdonarme, volverme a ti y restaurar nuestra relación.

¿Cómo responderás hoy al amor de Dios? ¿Hay alguien a quien puedas hablarle de su gran amor?

Por Estera Pirosca Escoba

© 2019 Ministerios Nuestro Pan Diario
El matrimonio de Raúl y Nancy se deterioraba rápidamente. Ella tuvo un amorío, pero tiempo después, le confesó su pecado a Dios. Sabía lo que Él quería que hiciera, pero le resultaba difícil.